Characters of Great Expectations
There a lot of characters in the novel that is why here we will just analyze thirteen major characters. The main characters of the novel are;
Pip
He is the protagonist of the novel. Since the novel is a Bildungsroman, which continues to follow with the development of a character as he grows older, Pip is the protagonist of the Bildungsroman. We quickly learn that he is passionate, idealistic, and truly moral. He is always looking to improve himself in a social and moral way.
Magwitch
He is a convict and secretly moral character. He plays a great role in the plot of the novel.
Miss Havisham
She is a kind of crazy lady when we first meet her we can learn that she is hanging her old wedding dress because she was abandoned on the altar. She wasn’t married, and so she basically walks around in her old wedding dress. She hangs out in a room where all the clocks stop at 20 to 9:00, which is the moment when she finds out that her fiancé has left her; she also wears only one shoe because at that time she wore only one shoe.
Estella
She is the heroine of the novel. she lives a high-class life; She is beautiful, and manipulative because she has been taught to break men’s hearts by her guardian and adopted mother, Miss Havisham. But in the journey of her life, she realizes her mistakes and becomes a good heroine. She is liked and loved by Pip very much.
Joe Gargery
He is brother in law of Pip. He is a blacksmith who befriends his wife’s younger brother Pip. Joe is a simple, kind man who accepts his life and wants nothing more than that. Joe values hard work, honesty and friendship. He has respect and devotion.
Mrs. Joe
She is Pip’s elder sister and Joey’s wife who often beats young Pip. She was heavily wounded by Orlick, a worker of her husband, and because of her injury cannot talk and finally dies.
Biddy
She is a kind and intelligent girl at Pip’s age. She comes to work for Joe taking care of Mrs. Joe Gargery. Later, Joe marries her because of his wife’s death.
Mr. Jaggers
He is a reasonable and seemingly sensitive lawyer for Miss Havisham and Pip. He is, however, a great orator and specialist to reduce from hard punishment to light punishments for criminals.
Matthew Pocket
Miss Havisham’s cousin. Matthew Pocket has charge of nine children, two nurses and a beautiful but useless wife. He also teaches young men, including Pip.
Herbert Pocket
He is a young gentleman who builds up a good friendship with Pip. He narrates the bitter story of Miss Havisham before Pip.
Wemmick
He is Jaggers’s clerk who befriends Pip. He tells Pip the story of Estella’s mother, a servant of Mr. Jaggers named Tigress.
Bentley Drummle
He is one of the students of Matthew Pocket. He is rude, not well mannered. Estella Marries him but their conjugal life is not happy. Drummle dies prematurely by an horse accident.
Compeyson
He is Magwitch’s deadliest enemy. Compeyson is a gentlemanly swindler. Because of him, Miss Havisham is ever unmarried and ever lonely because he left her on their wedding day just before marriage. We can call him the villain of the novel.
